Among Thorns
by Usami
Summary: /post movie/ Sometimes the hardest thing in the world is just being human.


This was written for the LJ community **disney_uberland** _Fic Request_ challenge. The request was for an Adam/Belle fic with the prompt "Life after the transformation". I find it funny that this is the first time I've ever tried writing a story for this particular fandom, considering this is my favorite movie of all time. So I wanted to give it a try. I'm a little worried about this story, though. I intended to have this a little longer and more detailed, but it didn't quite work out as well as I'd planned. Still, I did my best with it, and hopefully it still turned out all right. Anyway, enjoy!

**Among Thorns**

She wasn't sure why, but somehow Belle found herself standing in front of the library doors. Being in this part of the castle, her feet must have automatically brought her to one of her favorite rooms. At first she considered heading back to finish what she was doing. But then she realized that they had looked everywhere else _but_ here, and perhaps she hadn't ended up at this place on accident after all.

Pushing the doors open, she glanced inside the room and was surprised to see all the curtains drawn, allowing light to flood in. She'd had her doubts that he was in here, but those were chased away the further she stepped into the room. Then it faded completely when she found Adam sitting in one of the large armchairs, a green-bound book in his hands.

"Adam?" she said, leaving a small distance between the two of them as she came to a stop.

Glancing up at the sound of his name, he smiled and placed the book on his lap. "I guess I've been found," he said.

Belle frowned as she placed her hands on her hips. "We've been looking everywhere for you. How long have you been here?"

He smiled mischievously. "Long enough that you couldn't find me until now, I suppose."

She sighed in slight exasperation, though the smile that formed on her lips revealed her amusement. Walking over, she sat on the armrest of his chair and glanced over the open page of his book. "I never considered you someone who reads very much."

Adam shrugged, fingering the pages of his book. "Well...now that I'm human again, I thought it wouldn't hurt to catch up on a little reading."

Belle frowned, looking at him curiously. There was something in his tone that worried her a bit. "You don't...sound too excited to be human again."

Her suspicions were confirmed as she watched Adam's smile fade and he glanced away, running his fingers through his hair as he sighed.

"Adam," Belle said gently, "what is it?"

"It's just...so strange," he said, closing the book on his lap and placing it aside. "When I was still the beast, all I _wanted_ was to be human again. And that day, when the spell was broken, I _was_ happy...at first."

Belle waited for a moment, but when he said nothing else, she prompted, "And now?"

"Well..." He paused for a moment, propping an arm on the available armrest and leaning into his hand. "I'm still glad to be human again, but I never realized how..._difficult_ it would be."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed, his brow knitting together as he tried to think of what he wanted to say. "It's been..._years_ since we were first curse, and after all that time, I never realized until now how I was so _used_ to being a beast. I mean, I wasn't happy that way, as a monster unable to leave the castle...but I didn't appreciate just how I could do anything I wanted. How...how _freely_ I could act."

Belle thought for a moment. "Compared to _now_, you mean."

Adam nodded reluctantly. "Now that I'm human again, and especially as a prince, there are so many things expected of me. I have to behave a certain way, rules that I have to follow, responsibilities that I have to fulfill. And even with our wedding coming up," he added, looking up at her, "there's so many things to plan, work that needs to be done, expenses that need to be paid for...so many things to _worry_ about that I didn't have to when I was the beast."

Belle couldn't help but smile a little. "It's all just part of being human."

"I know, but..." He placed his hand to his temple, trying to calm his nerves. "I'm just not sure I remember how to _be_ human. I feel like I have to relearn everything I once knew...or maybe even learn for the first time because I never bothered to pay attention before, and I...I just don't know how to start."

She sat silently, an unreadable expression on her face as she considered everything she'd heard.

Adam sighed again, shaking his head. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I must sound so ungrateful for everything."

"No, it's all right." Taking his hand, Belle slowly stroked his arm. "You were living that way for such a long time, and it's hard to to go through such a big change so suddenly. To get used to all of this again...to _have to_ get used to all of this right now, because you have no other choice...of _course_ it's going to be difficult."

"I..." Adam gently squeezed her hand. "I just don't know if I can handle it."

Belle paused for a moment, thinking of how to put her next words. "Is that why you're here?" she asked softly. "Why you're hiding?"

Adam turned to her, a deep frown on his lips. "I'm not hiding..." he protested.

"Then what _are_ you doing?"

He thought for a moment, searching for a suitable answer. When he couldn't come up with one, he sighed again and glanced away.

Belle smiled, a little triumphantly, but it softened as she placed a hand on Adam's cheek, gently easing him to look at her. "This _is_ all part of being human," she said. "The learning and relearning, the rules to follow and responsibilities we have...even the worries and anxieties for the unknown. It's all normal."

Placing his hand on top of hers, Adam reluctantly glanced up at her.

"And, you're not alone, you know," she reassured. "Everyone else is going through the same thing you are. They may have been objects, but they were enchanted objects, and so they have to get used to adjust that part of them that they've lived with for so long. They have to relearn how to be humans themselves. And there's so much that _I_ have to learn before we get married too. There's a lot that we all have to get used to."

Adam blinked with surprised eyes. He had been so preoccupied with his own problems that he had forgotten about what Belle had to deal with, such as the lessons she had to undergo in preparation to marrying a prince. The images of enduring those types of lessons from his younger days ghosted through his mind, and he couldn't help but make a face.

Belle laughed softly. "It does feel that way sometimes," she admitted.

"I spent most of my childhood trying to learn all that." Even if he _didn't _remember most of it, he had to admit. "But it must be harder to learn in such a short amount of time."

"A little bit. But the way I see it, I can either ignore it all and pretend it doesn't exist..."

Adam cleared his throat.

"Or," she continued, "I can face up to it and do my best to handle it all."

"Doesn't it feel too much, sometimes?" he wondered.

She shrugged. "Sometimes," she confessed.

"So what do you do when it becomes too overwhelming?"

She smiled gently. "I remember how fortunate I am to have so many people to turn to. I have all the others here at the castle who help me, I have my father who supports me...and I have _you_."

Adam blinked again, at first unsure of what to say. Then, as he realized what she meant, he smiled and took her hand, gently kissing it. "Thank you."

Belle smiled, reaching down and gently brushing her lips against his. Then she slipped off the armrest and rose to her feet. "We better get going," she said, turning to him. "Everyone's still looking for you, and there's a lot that we have to do."

"Oh, all right," he replied in a joking grumble, rising to his feet as well. Then, with a mischievous smile, he added, "The sooner we do all this, the sooner we get it over with."

Belle rolled her eyes and playfully hit his shoulder as she followed him out. Closing the library doors behind them, they headed down the corridor, hand in hand, silently for a while before Adam turned back to her.

"You don't regret it, do you?" he wondered, a worried expression on his face. "All this, I mean."

Belle smiled and shook her head. "How could I?" she replied. "I mean, yes, it can be a lot to work through sometimes. But if it means being with you...then it's all worth it."

Adam smiled in return. "I think I see what you mean."

**The End**


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